Landscapers Trade in Mowers for Blowers

BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER)-- With the snow coming down hard in Bangor today, thoughts of Spring are far from people's minds. Knowing that, local lawn care companies have had to adapt to deal with the weather changes.

Peter Rines of Pete's Lawn Care, Inc. said he spent last week sharpening his tools and getting his trucks ready for the landscaping season, but that all changed when he heard news that a big storm was coming. Pete had to switch gears and put the plows back on his trucks to get ready to move more snow.

But Pete is not upset about the weather shift. His company works as a snow removal business in the winter, so for him, more snow means more income.

"Usually we're slow right now, just getting everything ready and doing quotes," he said. "So it will slow us down a little bit. We're either going to get rain storms or snow storms this time of year, so at least the snow will produce income."

And as far as landscaping is concerned, this storm should only have a minor affect on Springtime bulb planting.

John Jemison from the University of Maine's Cooperative Extension said that even though this storm came late in the season, it will only have minor affects on the groundwater in the soil. The rains of spring will have a much bigger impact on whether or not farmers and planters can work the soil in the months of Spring.

Jemison said that one reason the growing season could be delayed is that when planters see snow like this so late in winter, they forget to get prepared for the Springtime growing season.

"What is does for farmers, I think it probably makes them get a little bit complacent, and they think, 'Ah, well I got time. I can get this thing done and I can order that in a couple of weeks,'" he said. "And then all of a sudden crunch can come quickly. So we're always trying to encourage people to get as much done as possible as early as possible."